New Rose Hotel (1998)

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writers (WGA):

William Gibson (short story)
Abel Ferrara (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 March 1999 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Maas and Hosaka are two large Corporations in the future world. They are fighting to get control over the best minds of the world...

Plot Keywords:

Future Noir | Defection | Italian Woman | Brothel | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Christopher Walken	...	Fox
Willem Dafoe	...	X
Asia Argento	...	Sandii
Annabella Sciorra	...	Madame Rosa
John Lurie	...	Distinguished Man
Kimmy Suzuki	...	Asian Girl #1 (as Naoko 'Kimmy' Suzuki)
Miou	...	Asian Girl #2
Yoshitaka Amano	...	Hiroshi
Gretchen Mol	...	Hiroshi's Wife
Phil Neilson	...	The Welshman (as Phil Nielson)
Ken Kelsch	...	The Expeditor
Andrew Fiscella	...	Sex Show Man
Rachel Glass	...	Sex Show Woman #1
Roberta Orlandi	...	Sex Show Woman #2 (as Roberta Orlan)
Erin Jermaine Serrano	...	Sex Show Woman #3

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality and language, including some sex-related dialogue.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | France:U | Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | USA:R

Company:

Edward R. Pressman Film

Quotes:

Fox: There's an old saying: "The hair on a snatch could tow a battleship." All you have to do is feed his grandiosity, and play... on his... horniness.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Short Film About the Long Career of Abel Ferrara (2004) (V)

Gibson it ain't

New Rose Hotel is based on the short story of the same name by William Gibson. While the film is supposed to be set in the tech infested world of Gibson's stories it fails to convey this feeling, with only a few pieces of technology presented visually. More importantly, however, the film is terribly written and directed. It seems obvious that Gibson's story should have been followed in a more literal manner, as the story finds the narrator (Dafoe's character) reminiscing in his coffin in the New Rose Hotel, talking to Sandii as though she can hear him. Instead, we are subjected to the story twice, the second time around in the form of flashbacks. I imagine the flashbacks are supposed to clarify the disorganized mess that Ferrara weaves in the first half of the film. Perhaps the film appeals to the art crowd, but don't let them fool you. It's a terrible movie, putting to waste the incredible talents of Walken and Dafoe. Gibson's writing is densely descriptive and gritty. Ferrara attempts for the grit, but Gibson's worlds can't be created without a budget [and a competent director would help]. For example: Kill Switch, an episode of The X-Files that Gibson wrote, was the most expensive episode ever filmed during the time the show was filmed in Vancouver. And it's one of the best episodes in the show's history. Why? Because it constructed the visual aspect necessary to tell the story. The fact that New Rose Hotel fails to do this, coupled with Ferrara's horrendous storytelling, is what makes it an unworthy effort. If you're a fan of Gibson, then watch the film, but I doubt you'll enjoy it.